A recent video is spreading concern on social media about a robotics engineer abusing a humanoid robot. The footage shows the robot being yanked around by a chain wrapped around its neck and kicked in an attempt to knock it down. However, experts say this demo highlights the significant progress made in humanoid robots’ balance and resilience.
According to Tsinghua University PhD student Zhikai Zhang, who developed the Any2Track system, his team used a “two-stage reinforcement learning framework” to teach the robot how to adapt to disturbances like being kicked or jerked. The results show impressive stability and composure in the Unitree G1 bipedal robot, defying its human master’s abuse.
Similar incidents have been reported recently, with scientists at the Southern University of Science and Technology simiarly kickboxing a Unitree G1 humanoid robot. These demonstrations underscore humanity’s confidence in these robots’ ability to withstand physical challenges.
While this raises concerns about potential robot uprisings, experts say that it’s an impressive display of technological advancements rather than a harbinger of doom.
Source: https://futurism.com/robots-and-machines/disturbing-video-jerking-robot-around-chain-neck